NSB Sees Bow Retrofits Increasing Charter Market Attractiveness

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday June 24, 2014

New bulbous bows are reducing ships' fuel use by up to 5 percent, according to Niederelbe Schiffahrtsgesellschaft (NSB), a German ship charter and management firm that is retrofitting the bows as part of a modernization effort, industry news site the Motorship reports.

"We are making our vessels more attractive for the charter market," said Bettina Wiebe of the NSB.

"With luck we can increase our charter rates by €1,000-€1,500 [$1,400-$2,000] a day."
Wiebe said the company is having all its managed vessels that are younger the 15 years checked when they come up for drydocking class renewals to see if a bulbous bow would improve performance.

The process will take two to three years for the whole fleet.

A change in bow shape can help improve efficiency for ships that were designed to operate at speeds of more than 24 knots, since fuel cost concerns are now pushing operators to use slower speeds.

The CMA CGM Hugo had its bow retrofitted at CIC Shipyards in Shanghai, China, and the Pacific Link will go through the procedure at the end of June at HRDD Shipyard, also in China.

Wiebe said the retrofits can save three to five tonnes of fuel per day.

"The target is to save fuel because of current excessive fuel oil prices," she said.

"Possible savings with a modified bulbous bow along with the new service conditions are around 5% of consumption at low load."

In a Ship & Bunker feature, Fathom recently wrote that changing a ship's bulbous bow can save 6 percent on fuel, paying for itself in nine months.